Communitech has announced that nine companies will be joining the first cohort of its recently launched Fierce Founders Accelerator, a program to supports female-led businesses by providing them with resources and expertise to grow.
The Fierce Founders Accelerator, which is the first female-focused accelerator in Canada, was launched to promote more diversity in Canada’s tech sector by eliminating barriers for female entrepreneurs who want to start companies.
“Startups in the accelerator will have direct support from Communitech’s investor network, improve their strategies and business plans, drive sales, and scale revenue,” said Danielle Graham, the manager of Communitech’s Women in Tech Program.
“Startups in the accelerator will have direct support from Communitech’s investor network.”
In June 2016, the accelerator received $880,000 in funding from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Startups participating in the accelerator will receive up to $30,000 in funding, the opportunity to live up to 6 months at the CommunitechHub, and mentoring and business support from Communitech’s experts.
Among the nine companies that will be joining the accelerator, five of them participated in the two-week Fierce Founders Bootcamp in the summer of 2016, where they had the opportunity to receive funding to help their businesses grow. The first cohort includes companies like Borealis Wind, whose team has developed a device that prevents ice on wind turbine blades to improve their efficiency; and Navi, which is a platform that helps publishers retain their mobile and web readers.
“Coming from an engineering background, I lacked concrete business knowledge. The bootcamp was an amazing learning opportunity,” said Daniela Roeper, the founder of Borealis Wind. “I’ll continue to learn from and connect with brilliant, driven women in the accelerator.”
The first cohort of the Fierce Founders Accelerator is below: